My introduction to Dr. Edward Sri’s writing was a few years ago, when he wrote a thoughtful, bite-sized book about the Mass. His latest book, Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross, caught my attention in part because I loved his writing so much in that earlier book. Walking with Mary is one of my favorite reads this year, and one of my new favorite Mary books. Dr. Sri weaves his scholarly expertise with a tone that’s approachable... Read more
A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family & Faith Throughout the Christian Year by Evelyn Birge Vitz My rating: 5 of 5 stars At Pentecost a few years ago the usefulness of food for teaching religious ideas really became apparent to me. I was trying to explain to my children what Pentecost was, and their eyes were getting that glassy look that mothers know so well. I was losing them fast. Then (providential inspiration?) I declared,... Read more
Over the years I have heard bits and pieces of author and literary critic Joseph Pearce’s conversion story. I always wanted to hear more since the basic details seemed so wild. I usually find conversion stories as a genre fascinating since while there are similarities in each one, there is also a uniqueness to the individual. Some conversion stories seem much more dramatic such as St. Paul who went from persecutor to Apostle. Joseph Pearce’s conversion story certainly has those... Read more
A Hero for the People: Stories of the Brazilian Backlands, by Arthur Powers, is a book I stumbled upon. I didn’t expect it to be good, much less at the “write to the author and ask for an interview” level. I didn’t expect much from it. I found myself, about a third of the way through the book, checking to see if it was a memoir or a collection of stories. For me, this speaks to a few things. First,... Read more
Having admired the reporting and coverage provided by Ann Carey regarding women in religious life in the United States I had been interested in reading her book “Sisters in Crisis.” Considering this book was first published in 1997 I had wished for an updated version especially considering recent history. So I was delighted to see Sisters in Crisis Revisited: From Unraveling to Reform and Renewal which exactly fulfilled my desire. There was a lot of information I wanted to see... Read more
I didn’t expect to read A Land Without Sin in a weekend, so be warned. This is a well-crafted and very compelling novel. The storyline is pretty basic, when I think about it: main character Eva is trying to find her missing brother Stefan. It involves a journey through Central America, some flirting with politics at a level I’m pretty sure I just don’t appreciate, and examination of faith and relationships. There are some characters in this novel that I’d like... Read more
I accepted a review copy of Sam Rocha’s A Primer for Philosophy and Education with trepidation: Academics tend to write horribly, and philosophers are the worst of the lot. Well, I found a jewel. Not only can the man write clearly and well, he can think straight, too. Sam Rocha’s Primer is a treasure trove of measured, thoughtful reflection on what makes education, and how to become educated. I recommend his book wholeheartedly to anyone who is serious about education... Read more
When I started reading this book as part of a summer-long study, I knew it would be a good read and I thought it would be worth the time I was investing in it. It was way more than worth it. It was transformative. There’s something in the air right now, and Forming Intentional Disciples captures part of it. We’re all looking around us in our pews, under the kneelers, around the parish, and wondering, “what the heck do we... Read more
A couple of years ago Steven D. Greydanus wrote an excellent essay A House Divided: Broken Homes, Flying Houses, Divorce, and Death in Family Fantasy Films. I thought that what he had to say was dead on. Some of the movies he discussed were based on children’s books. During the summer the site Sync offers YA literature in audiobook formats. Each week during this time they usually have a fairly recent YA fiction audiobook and one of more classic literature.... Read more
I remember when everyone was talking about Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves, edited by Helen M. Alvaré (Our Sunday Visitor, 2012). Some reviewers I really respect had good things to say about it and I’ll be honest: I believed them. I just had no real desire to read it for myself. And then, then, I found myself with a copy of it, thanks to Amazon Vine. (True enough, I picked it out for myself. Curiosity? Compelled? Something!) It’s been collecting... Read more
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